KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 — The National Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) will study a report by an environmental watchdog claiming that the country is at risk of losing around 3.2 million hectares of natural forests due to logging and oil palm plantations.
Its minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said they take the claim seriously, as it involves the ministry’s commitment to retaining 50 per cent of forest cover in Malaysia.
“Currently, the country's forest cover is at 54.58 per cent. We know there are challenges in several areas, but we are working hard to protect it.
"We will study this claim and the ministry will respond soon,” he told the press after attending Mercy Malaysia’s International Humanitarian Conference 2024 plenary session
today.
Nazmi was responding to RimbaWatch’s report stating that the country risked losing 14 to 16 per cent of its natural forests due to human activities, and that Malaysia's forest cover had dropped to 46.97 per cent in the last two years.
The minister added that the NRES is also drafting a climate change bill and a national adaptation plan that is expected to be tabled during a Parliament session next year.
“We have started engagement sessions at the ministry level with state governments and non-governmental organisations, and we will go through all the processes, including going to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for the draft bill,” he said.
— Bernama
